Well, the decision was made yesterday afternoon to go ahead and fly!
     Gary Brown is in the air as I write, flying from the NCEM airbase in Nipawin.  He will pick us up at a small private airstrip near Lumsden.  And then we will be airborne to northern Alberta!
     Our small bags are packed and by the front door.  Praying we will have a smooth flight and peace that passes understanding as we soar above the prairies, lakes, forests and communities.  
     The Scriptures in my daily devotional were all about being thankful.  So today, I intend to give thanks in all circumstances and give the honour that is due my God and King!  He has blessed me beyond my hopes and dreams.  He has given me a rich inheritance through Christ.  He has given me all I need and more by His great love and mercy.  Our family has been blessed through hard times and He has given us reason to rejoice!  Over and over...I can give thanks easily when I begin to consider all I have received.  My Father is so good to me!
      I will update when we get back home on the further adventures of the Selke Family...

     This week we have made plans to fly in the Cessna 206 (NCEM plane) up to La Crete, Alberta for a regional conference of our western field missionaries.  Here's the thing:  with the smoke from forest fires in BC, we may not be able to fly as this plane must have visual capability as it is not instrument rated.  So we could fly on Tuesday morning and in about four hours be at our destination.
     The pilot is a very experienced and godly man in northern flying.  I trust his judgment.  By tomorrow afternoon, he will give us the final yea or nay.  That way, we still have time to drive the fourteen and a half hours from Regina to La Crete.  The conference begins Tuesday at supper time.
     Today, I have been praying off and on as the shadows of anxiety darken my thoughts.  I know as Caylea also is traveling with us, she feels pretty nervous about the small plane.  Will we have issues with turbulence and air sickness?
     I wish I didn't have these travel anxiety issues.  I have seen God's faithfulness in the past several years in keeping us safe and blessing our trips.  It just seems to be an area of weakness in my life and I pray Caylea hasn't inherited this from me!
     Deuteronomy 33:27 is my verse for the day:  "The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms."
     

On as many mornings as possible I like to sneak away to the backyard for devotions.  A cup of steaming coffee, my Bible and journal are the items I need.  Some mornings I hear the birds, especially the meadowlark, and just enjoy the sounds of nature.  At other times, I enjoy the frolicking squirrel make its way along the back fence, or see baby robins get flight training.  As the flowers come into their time of blooming, I have been blessed to see peonies, lilies, daisies and bleeding hearts arrayed in all their glory!
A few weeks ago, I had settled into the hammock seat Walter had attached to the beam of our deck's glass roof.  I was simply listening and quieting my heart before reading and praying.  I noticed a young robin land on one of the rocks along the stream of our water feature.  It stood tentatively, nervously, taking a small sip from the flowing water, but immediately looking up and around.  Quick and anxious. 
Then I saw a blackbird, usually not my favourite as they are aggressive and scare off the other birds.  Sure enough, when it landed boldly and forcefully, the robin flew off in a flurry.  Not seeming to care, the blackbird plunged into the pond up to its neck in the water.  Splashing, flapping its wings, this bird immersed itself with great gusto and completely bathed in the refreshing pool.  After a minute or so, the bird hopped onto a rock and began its grooming ritual.  Taking time to preen each feather and shake out the excess moisture, the bird did a thorough job of coming to the pool for its needs.  Satisfied, it lifted off and flew away into the nearby trees.
The Lord brought to my attention that sometimes I am like the robin, coming to His presence just to take a quick sip of His life-giving waters.  Nervous, distracted and quick to leave and get onto other activities of my day.
What He wanted me to notice is that I can be like the blackbird, plunge in and soak up the presence of the Lord!  I can choose to chase off distractions and fully engage in drinking from the river of living water.
I have been letting that life lesson soak in. 
This morning, as I got comfortable in the hammock seat, I was surrounded by the ambience of birdsong.  My coffee steamed and the water fountain gurgled gently.  Then my eye caught sight of a brown-grey feathery ball beside the pond.  I could make out the wings tucked tightly, and a little beak and closed slit of an eye.  A morning dove was soaking in the warmth of the summer sun.
Again, the Lord showed me how peaceful and rich it is to simply sit and enjoy His presence.  The entire time I was journalling, reading Scripture and praying for my family and others, that little dove rested by the quiet waters.  Psalm 23 came to mind and I let my thoughts linger on how sweet it is to be restored by the Shepherd.  Hebrews 11:6 also came to my memory, reminding me that "...anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and the He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."  How special to receive the gift of God speaking to me through nature and His creatures!
Just when I was thinking it was time to go back into the house, the dove stirred from her warm place and flew off beyond the back fence.  Not to get to spooky, I took it to mean that there is a time to carry on with the day.  Even though I would love to sit and bask in God's glory, there are works for me to do...

Why would we make a travel decision by the toss of a coin?
This is not our normal method of discerning God's will for our ministry!  We try to be available for people and needs, but ultimately want to be obedient to the direction of the Lord.  Nevertheless, we just could not decide whether to head for Regina or to Elk Point, Alberta.
We knew a memorial celebration for the late Eva Shepard was to be held in Regina, the one-year marker of her passing.  She was the daughter of Nick and Vivian Helliwell, and she left seven children in the care of the Helliwells.  The last we had heard, the memorial was to be held at the Healing Hearts ministry centre. 
If we turned right at the intersection, we would head to Elk Point, where the funeral service for Ross Amy, a missionary who did language translation among the Woodland Cree for years and who had served with NCEM for a time.  Walter knew him from Calgary back in the 1980's, meeting Ross and Marrianne at Crossroads Community Church and even helping the Amy's when they went north to a Cree community. 
When the coin showed heads, we took this as God's direction and Walter turned right.
I think we both felt uneasy at making this decision in this unusual and random way.  Walter asked how I felt about it and I shrugged.  What if we made a phone call to find out the details in Regina and at least let Nick and Vivian know of our change of plans?  Walter called their cell phone number.  No answer.
Within a minute, Vivian was calling back.  She was busy cooking and Nick was out.  When we asked when the memorial was to start, she let us know it was at 4 pm at Candy Cane Park.  A quick glance at the clock, and we knew we wouldn't make it to Regina in time. But if we drove directly to Elk Point, we would make it with fifteen minutes to spare!
Feeling a little better that we called and connected with Vivian, she understood that the funeral was also a very important event.  We drove the three hours cross-country and made it to the Baptist Church with enough time for us to make a quick wardrobe change and find seats in the sanctuary.
Walking in the church, we didn't see anyone we recognized. We hoped to see Marrianne and maybe some of the children to express our personal condolences.  As we filed in behind a line of people, we saw a small woman in black, greeting folks and receiving embraces.  It was Marrianne and she looked as I remembered her from twenty-five years ago.  She recognized Walter right away!  She thanked us for coming and took several minutes to chat. 
Then we made our way to the church library, where Ross was laid in a plywood coffin, made by one of his sons.  We waited while others paid their respects, then looked in at the body of Ross Amy.  He looked thin, older, but definitely like the man we remembered.  Resting on the Hudson Bay blanket which lined the casket, tears burned our eyes.  Death just isn't fun.
The funeral was a combination of a First Nations man offering a prayer and the local pastors leading the service.  Four of the children read out their father's testimony as he had shared it a few years ago in that very church.  A pianist and guitarist led in some of the Amy's favourite hymns.  It was a tribute of honour for a missionary and a family man who died at the age of 67.  Too young.
We stayed for the lunch to follow and met up with several First Nations believers and pastors who knew Ross.  It was good to connect with these folks, and to meet some of the Amy family, as well.  We could have joined the folks as they drove the half hour to the cemetery where Ross would be laid to rest.  But we needed to decide now if we would return to Prince Albert or just take the TransCanada highway back to Regina...another coin toss?
We both felt ready to head home, no debating necessary.  Listening to an audiobook, the miles slipped by and we made it home by midnight. 
I'm so thankful for God's guiding hand on our journeys.

     The NCEM mission truck was loaded with luggage and boxes of Swag (t-shirts, jackets and caps with our mission logo).  Winding through forest and some fields, our first stop was Big River Bible Camp.  Located along the Delaronde Lake, the Bible camp was established almost 70 years ago by folks who had a vision to reach children, especially those on nearby First Nations.  Some years later, the camp leadership approached NCEM to bring the camp under its umbrella.  Now Jason and Anita Boucher direct the camp.  As we pulled into the camp property, we saw the new dining hall and chapel - a two-storey structure with a beautiful deck where the tables and chairs were set for the kids to eat.  Beyond that, we saw the cabins lined up along the trees and then a beautiful view of the lake.
     We are usually greeted by a couple of resident dogs and the Bouchers.  But during camp, Anita is in the kitchen and Jason is somewhere involved in the activities.  Today, the first people we saw were Dave and Timothy, two men working on maintenance projects.
     "Where is everybody?" we asked.  Not a kid or staff person was in sight.
     "It is FOBIC time."  Dave replied, grinning.
     Our confused looks showed our ignorance.  "What is FOBIC?"
     "Flat On Back In Cabin!"  Timothy explained.  "You can't call it nap time but that's supposed to be what is happening now!"
     It was exciting once the bell rang and kids came pouring out of the cabins.  We had arrived in time for Tuck, treat time.  So we wandered over to the Tuck Shop and met cabin leaders, staff and some kids.  Walter and I loved making conversation and trying to connect with whoever had time for us.
     That evening we joined in the chapel time, sitting in the very back row.  The kids were amazingly quiet and attentive as Aileen, a diminutive white-haired woman, read from the Bible and put up figures on her flannelgraph.  Simply but clearly, Aileen presented stories about Paul from the book of Acts and involved volunteers from the audience.  We were impressed with the flow and sense of God's presence during the chapel session.
     Early next morning, Walter joined the staff for their meeting.  As a token of thanks, he let the staff, everyone who was serving at the camp, take some Swag.  At breakfast, when I came to the dining hall, I saw so many wearing the black t-shirt or jacket, and many had on an NCEM cap!  Usually they sport the camp t-shirts but we wanted them to be aware of NCEM and how the larger umbrella organization appreciated their service.  I hope we left Big River with the encouragement and affirmation the staff needed at their mid-way point of the summer.
     Our next stop was two hours north and west at Pine Ridge Bible Camp.  The camp is reached by a winding. sandy road.  Located on Cunnings Lake, the layout of the camp is all up and down!  Paths between cabins, dining hall, chapel and outhouses form a web of connection, with a lovely set of wooden steps all the way down to the beach.
     Very rustic but beautifully set in the jack pines, we took in the scent of the pines and the sounds coming from the main log structure.  We were a bit late for lunch, but we joined the line up.  The staff who knew us greeted us with smiles and kept serving the meal.  some others stood and shook our hands or hugged us.  Again, we knew there wouldn't be much opportunity for visiting, but we came to encourage and give out Swag.
     Right after lunch, I was invited by a young female cabin leader on break to go berry picking!  I took that offer, hoping it would be an opening to hear what she was doing with her future.  She had finished one year of Bible college and was very interested in children's ministry.  We talked about what her vision is and what she has pursued in terms of an umbrella.  She was definitely open to looking into NCEM but made no promises or commitment.  That's okay.  It's often better to think these decisions through and pray much before making a decision.
     That night, we made our way to the old chapel building, a log structure up the hill.  We sat on the old church pews, crowding in with all the campers and staff.  The speaker had power point and some science experiments to illustrate his Bible teaching.  The kids were a more active and noisy, but for the most part they were interested and involved in the chapel time.  Right after the lesson, we all piled out to the campfire time.  We sang lots of songs and in between, two cabin leaders shared their testimonies.  What a powerful time as we heard how Jesus changed these two leaders by His grace.
     We fell into bed by 11 pm, very aware of our age and fitness level.  The fresh air and the hilly terrain wore us out!  Next morning, the alarm woke us and we joined the Pine Ridge camp staff for their morning staff meeting.  Everyone was looking weary; one more full day and they wanted to finish strong.  We handed out more NCEM items, thanking each one for serving at the camp.
     After a typical camp breakfast of baked oatmeal, toast and fruit, Walter and I had a decision to make.  An email had come in the day before, notifying of the sudden passing of a former NCEM missionary.  The funeral was to be in Elk Point, Alberta, which would be about four hours from the camp.  Heading back to the office in Prince Albert would be 3 1/2 hours.  When we reached the intersection, Walter suggested we flip a coin.  'Heads' we turn right, 'tails' we go left.
    I flipped the coin and...the next blog will let you know where we went next!

Many miles, amazing views and special people.
That's our life.
Last week we were in Prince Albert for NCEM's Day of Prayer.  The DVD, that was supposed to be the message for the day before we spent some time in prayer, wouldn't work.  So Walter shared a sermon he was preparing for the next Sunday from Luke 9 and 10.  It was a God-moment as the message was very powerful on counting the cost to be a follower of Jesus.  More than just being involved in church, but being committed fully to the Kingdom of God.
As we broke into prayer groups, we were to think of names of people we knew who may be interested in missions.  Some names were students, interns, volunteers who have been associated with NCEM or folks we think may be well-suited for ministry. 
Three days later, we were meeting with a young couple whose names had been on the prayer list for potential missionaries...Wow!  Just by sharing the opportunities we thought could be a great fit for them, the wife was in tears and the husband was doing some deep soul-searching.  Prayer is the most we can do.
On Thursday, we had an all-day Executive meeting.  Sometimes meetings can be long, boring but of course necessary for the conducting of business, even God's business.  The neat thing about serving with the men who God has brought together is that these meetings become exciting!  We see how God has answered prayer and brought resolution and hope to some tough situations.  Properties have sold.  Staff are serving with renewed vision.  Donations are increasing. 
On Sunday, we drove 2 1/2 hours to Coronach, SK, for Walter to preach in the Alliance Church.  The ride was beautiful: early morning, little traffic, green fields, lots of hay bales.  It was raining when we left the city and the skies cleared as we drove south...it was breathtaking as we came over a rise and then gazed at the Big Muddy.  The valley is like a scene from the old T.V. show, Bonanza.  Saskatchewan Badlands are an unexpected and glorious sign that God is God.  It was an amazing way to prepare for worship.
After service - yes, we were the last ones to leave the church - and the fellow who was locking up invited us to lunch.  His wife whipped up a little something and we ate fresh produce from her garden.  This couple signed up to receive our letters and want to know how to give to our ministry.
We live a crazy life, but when I take the time to count the blessings, they are beyond counting!
This week we have plans on the road and hopefully I will get the chance to update you all.  So stay tuned...

Well, we had a few nice days lazing at our cabin at Sandy Beach, Katepwa Lake.
Then it rained.
Not that we couldn't have stayed indoors - I had plenty of reading material and Walter had his computer!  But Walter couldn't rest knowing the rain was also pouring in the city...and we had an unfinished shed needing attention.  The basic walls were up and the roof was covered with tin.  The problem was the slope of the roof without the eaves troughs to catch the water would mean it was flooding into our neighbours' yard!
We drove back to the city, leaving some groceries and our bedding, fully anticipating we would be back in a day or two.  By the second evening home, we did complete the projects needed for the shed to function adequately.  I got some errands done and was able to visit Dinah, who is now home after her surgery.  In my mind, I was gearing up to return to the lake and enjoy more of our vacation.
When Walter checked the weather, it was to be +34, a regular heat wave throughout the southern part of the province.  It was wise for us to stay in our air conditioned house and just relax with the comforts of the CFL on TSN!  Taking advantage of the hot weather, I spent some time writing, editing my next devotional book.  I also opted not to cook so we drove to a favourite Chinese Buffet place nearby.  Walter was able to putter in his cool garage and made a picture frame of barn wood.
Nice to be in a holiday mood!
The Bible reading and devotional I read this week reminded me that our plans don't always come to pass.  I think I was so set on a perfect vacation, relaxing at the lake and having uninterrupted days to do whatever I wanted that the rain and the shed project and even phone calls felt like intrusions!  In Proverbs 16:9 - "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."
Yep!  Over and over, I have experienced this truth.  I may set a course but many times that course gets diverted.  And God somehow has His way either through my plans or in spite of my plans!  So even with vacation times, we may have a place and time and itinerary but it seems we are at the mercy of God's sovereignty.  The weather?  Not in my control.  Letting God have

His way?  I can do that!